Niya's Destiny
by dreamergirl87
Summary: This is a mythological story. This story was written by a friend of mine, and I give all the credit to her. It is in Niya's POV. *2011 Update: This story is no longer being written as the author has lost the desire to and for the lack of response. Thanks*
1. Chapter 1

Starlight flooded into Princess Níya's bed chamber. She awoke and lifted her head off her sleeping pallet. The winds whistled outside her room as she got up for the day. Her sac was already packed the night before and it now hung with its strap over her writing chair. She quickly brushed her hair and put on her hooded cloak. The sun was due to rise in 2 hours. Níya grabbed her pack and crept into the hall outside her chamber.

The passage ways were still quiet with the exception of a few night guards that were playing cards. She silently stepped across the hall and headed for Tarási's room. No sound came from her friend's chamber. She lightly tapped on the door and waited for a response. The room was still quiet.

Silently she opened the door and walked over to the sleep pallet. Her friend lay completely asleep.

"Tarási," she whispered. "Tarási, wake up."

The attempt to wake her was unsuccessful. Níya shook Tarási and finally she awoke.

"What do you want?" She looked out her window and said with a groan, "The stars haven't even set. Go back to bed."

Níya then became very upset. _How could she forget our plans to go to the Temple? I reminded her two days ago._

"Look, Tarási, you told me you would go with me to Takadí's Temple today. Well, it's _today_ and you aren't ready to go."

"It's not to_-day_. It's _morning._ Why can't we go later in the day? I don't care if you'll be queen someday. I'm not getting up this early just to see some ancient temple that will still be there later on in the day. We can go later on. I promise I'll go with you sometime. Now, go back to bed." She lay back down and placed her pillow above her head.

There was no way of convincing Tarási to come with her. Níya left her sleeping friend and started her trip up the mountain. She again passed the card playing night guards on her way to the stairs that led to the North Hall.

It was still fairly dark when she left the city. The stars above provided a little light for the journey up the steep trail. Níya loved being up in the peaks. It was quiet and serene. She felt at ease and her mind was relaxed.

After a short hike, she reached the Temple of Takadí. It protruded out of the side of the highest peak of the mountain. A winding stair case, partially cut into the mountain and partially made of metal, was under the structure and led to the center of the temple. Níya ascended the stairs and ended up next to an alter.

She felt her way to the rusted windows and struggled to open them. The sun crept up the horizon and soon the east side of the temple received the morning sunlight. Níya decided to read the Creation Histories of Kabíli today. These were etched into the walls and ceilings of the South Room.

It said, "'When there was nothing in this world, there existed supernatural beings. Takadí, the holy, omnipresent Father, created Kabíli and all the stars and planets above. On Kabíli He created oceans and 7 land masses each with different terrain.

"'On the first continent Takadí made grand mountains that reached way into the clouds and contained many kinds of metal ores. This He called Súria and made the Súri people. The next piece of land was covered with large canyons with rolling hills suitable grazing ground at the bottom of them. He called it Dákó and created the Dákon people. One land he partially submerged under the water with little oceans, full of millions of fish, all throughout the continent. There the Kújí people were made and their land was called Kújí.'"

The Temple was well lit now. It was about time for breakfast. Usually, Níya was back to the palace by now, but she wanted to stay longer. She ate the fruit she packed and continued to read the Creation History:

"'The next nation created was hot and covered with sandy and rocky terrain full of oil and it was called Asdem. The Asde people were placed as inhabitants of this place. Takadí then made a land of grassy plains of rich soil. It was called Bast and the Basti people were placed there. Mekína was created as many islands which contained mountains that spouted fire, ash, and precious gems. On these islands were placed the Mekínas people. The last continent was made of cold, solid water. No people were created for this land.'"

Lunch time was approaching. Níya quickly closed the windows and descended the mountain faster than she climbed it. She shouldn't have stayed that late. Mású was probably waiting for her at her chambers. The appointment was set up yesterday. There was no way he could have forgotten. She thought she was finally ready to tell him about her dreams.

_What will he think? I hope he doesn't think I'm crazy. I thought I was when I first had my visions. _Maybe she wasn't as ready as she thought. _No, I'm not crazy. Everything will be fine as long as I am calm. I must remain calm. I am calm. I must remain calm…_She repeated these phrases over and over in her head as she carefully ran down the steep trail.


	2. Chapter 2

After breakfast, Prince Kóen walked to his chamber and sat on his bench that was next to the window that overlooked the south mountains. His little sisters, Zúfi and Medizi, played tag in the foyer. Medizi claimed she could scream louder than Zúfi, who didn't argue. The little princess had such a loud voice, their mother and father could hear her across the palace.

"Medizi, why don't you and Zúfi go look for Níya? I think she said she was playing 'conceal-and-locate' with Tarási. Don't you think that'll be fun." Kóen loved his younger sisters, but this morning he wanted to be alone, even if it means lying to Medizi.

Zúfi gave her brother a stern look, but understood Kóen didn't want them around. She grabbed her sister's hand and left the chamber.

Since Níya wasn't at breakfast, Kóen assumed she was up at the Temple. Usually she would leave before sunrise and be back by meal time, but today was different. Níya had always been different than anyone he knew, so it shouldn't bother him that she might still be there.

Kóen heard shouts from below. He looked out his window and looked down to the Palace Courtyard. A crowd of people surrounded what looked like a Dákon caravan. A second later, Zúfi opened the door to his chamber.

"The Royal Dákon Family has arrived early. Mom and Dad want us to go down to the courtyard and meet them. Níya still hasn't come down from the Temple. Mom is very upset. The Dákon Royals want to see Níya now, you know, because that's why they came here. Hurry up. Medizi is already down there." Zúfi always got very agitated when things didn't go as planned.

She ran out and went down the stairs to the square. Kóen put on his royal robe and followed her. He almost dripped on the first step down. The Dákons were not expected to arrive until next week. The halls were full of servants rushing about the palace trying to get everything prepared for the guests. Two maids carrying clean sheets ran into each other and almost fell over. Everything was chaotic.

Kóen reached the courtyard and walked calmly towards his parents. He saw Mású and Tarási in the front of the crowd, admiring the Dákons' beautiful horses. (The valleys of Dákó have the finest grazing land in all of Kabíli and they produce the best horses.) His mother stepped forward to greet the honored guests.

"Welcome King Átris, Queen Lúrahí, Crown Prince Tás, Princess Hessak, and Prince Myhus. I hope your journey had no difficulties." Queen Casta placed her right hand on her left shoulder, dragged it down her arm and placed both hands in front of her with her fingers from each hand touching the fingers of the other, as it was the traditional greeting of the Dákons. Her family welcomed them in the same way and then the Dákons repeated the greeting with their left hand on their right shoulder instead to accept the greeting.

"Queen Casta, King Sívak, we have traveled from our home land to wish a long and prosperous rule to your daughter, the Crown Princess Níya. If I might ask, where is your heir?" King Átris was a slightly impatient man, but he had no excuse to be upset at this particular time. It was evident that Casta and Sívak didn't know how to answer. Kóen stepped forward to explain the situation.

"Your Highness, we had no idea you were to arrive early. My sister went up to Takadí's Temple this morning and has not returned. When she is back, you'll get to see her. She shouldn't be much longer."

Prince Tás grabbed the reins of a horse and stepped toward the Súri Royals.

"We have brought a present for Princess Níya. This horse, Calé, is the finest our herds have produced. If you don't mind, I'd like to personally place her in your stables since the Crown Princess is not here."

From the crowd, Mású came forward and bowed low.

"If I may, I'll escort you to the stables, Your Highness."

The two young men disappeared into a hall way and the people in the crowd went about their daily business. Servants approached the royals and stated the guest suits were prepared for the Dákon royals. Casta and Sívak led Átris and Lúrahí to their chambers and left the children to play at their games.

"Sissy, I wanna see the mines now! Can we go see them, please?" Myhus tugged on Hessak's tunic.

"Alright, Myhus. Prince Kóen, would you mind giving us a tour of the iron mines? My little brother has wanted to see it for weeks."

Kóen didn't like going into the mines, but Zúfi did. She knew the mines better than most miners. She volunteered to give them a tour and they went on their way.

"Come on, Medizi. Let's go find Níya. She's probably back from the Temple by now."

"You said she was playing 'conceal-and-locate'."

"Yeah, she was playing it with Tarási at the Temple. Didn't you see Tarási in the crowd with Mású? That means Níya is probably back. Come on, let's go."

Medizi followed her big brother up the main hall. She was happy she was with him and not in the dark mines. Zúfi and Níya were the only Súri Royals that liked them. Kóen would rather read his novels. Casta and Sívak worried every time their children were down there. Medizi thought there were more fun places to play than the mines.

The courtyard quickly cleared of towns people. Storm clouds formed overhead. The Dákon servants were relieved they reached the palace that day. They did not want to get caught in a storm, but they were comforted by the gentle breeze the storm was bringing. It reminded them of home.


	3. Chapter 3

After a short walk, Mású led Tás down a wide, well-lit corridor. A few servants moved here and there while going about their daily proceedings. Calé grew nervous at the sight of more strangers. She pulled back on the reins and tried to walk backwards down the narrow hall. Tás calmed her and slowly walked her forward toward the stables at the end of the hall way. There was no one in the stables when Mású opened the large metal doors. Calé was placed in a stall in the back. As Mású and Tás were about to leave, she began to slam her body against the walls of her unfamiliar stable. Again, Tás began to calm her.

"Could you find your way back to the courtyard if I leave you now? I need to meet someone."

"I think I'll manage. Calé seems really upset. She needs a little time to get used to this place. You can go meet your friend."

When Mású stepped into the hall, he saw Princess Níya walking toward him. He ran to her and bowed slightly.

"Milady, I'm terribly sorry I didn't show up. The Dákon Royal Family has arrived earlier than expected they have brought you a gift. Prince Tás wanted to personally bring it to the stables and I offered to show him where it was and that is why I didn't meet you. Please don't be upset with me." Mású rushed through his little explanation as though she grew angry the longer he spoke.

"If I look upset it is because you keep insisting on bowing to me every time I see you, even though I tell you not to. So, Prince Tás is in the stable with a present for me? That gives me an idea. Could you go wait for me in my chamber? In the foyer you'll find what I want to talk to you about. I'll be there later on this afternoon. I need to take care of something. Here, take my sac and cloak and place it on top of my bureau."

Mású was confused, but he complied anyways. He wouldn't dare ask her what she planned. If he did she would just look at him with a smirk and never tell him. If he didn't, she'll eventually reveal her secret. All he could do was wait.

Níya watched him turn around the corner before she walked into the stable. She could hear a male voice speaking quietly to an overly anxious horse that was bumping against the walls. Purposefully, she slammed the stable door. The whispering stopped for a second and then began again.

"Is someone there?" Níya said, walking toward the nearly inaudible voice.

"Yes, there is someone here. Who might you be?"

Tás stepped out of the stall to see who came into the stable. There before him stood a beautiful woman near his age in a simple Súri tunic. Once she saw him, she stumbled back, fell to her knees, and bowed low. (She tried her best to act surprised that he was there.)

"I'm very sorry for disturbing you, Your Highness. I had no idea you would still be in the stables. I heard you brought a horse for the Crown Princess and I wanted to see it. The servant who told me said it was that most beautiful horse he'd ever seen. I thought you would have joined your family by now and I just wanted to look at the horse. Again I'm sorry for intruding."

"That's alright, I'm almost done here. Calé gets a little spooked at times. She won't always be. She needs some training still and she'll be a great horse for Princess Níya. So, you didn't tell me who you are."

"My name is Sálin. My family and I are servants for the Royal Súri Family."

Tás again took up his endeavors of calming the frightened horse. Níya walked closer to horse's stall. Surprisingly, the horse grew calmer the closer Níya came.

"Usually Calé is spooked by strangers, but now she's not. That's interesting."

"I've worked with horses most of my life. I guess she can sense that. She really is a beautiful creature. Princess Níya sure is lucky to receive such a wonderful animal."

There was a weird feeling Tás couldn't get over. He felt there was something strange about this woman. He would try to figure it out later. For now he wanted to learn more about Princess Níya.

"So, what is the Crown Princess like? Is she sweet or mean, pretty or ugly, smart or dumb? Tell me something. Anything. I've heard rumors about her, but I've learned not to trust gossip." He tried really hard not to sound too desperate, but failed. Níya already thought the Dákon's coming was to see if she was anything like the rumors people told about her, and her suspicions were correct. Tás' anxiousness confirmed it.

"Well, many say she's the most beautiful woman in all of Kabíli, but she doesn't think so. She doesn't care about beauty. She thinks beauty is so fickle and Princess Níya is anything but fickle. I guess people think she's so gorgeous because beauty doesn't matter to her. Does that make any sense? I'm not sure if it does."

"I guess it does, if you've met her. But, I haven't met her so I really couldn't say. I've heard that everything about her is complex and a complete mystery."

_This is a very interesting conversation. I guess the rumors about me are true._ Níya didn't want to end this conversation, but she couldn't keep Mású waiting. All she had to do was figure out how to get Tás back to his family without hers seeing them. If her family saw them, her plan would be ruined.

"What else? Tell me more about her."

"You'll have to wait until you see her. I'm sorry, but I'm supposed to meet someone and I'm really late. You'll figure out what she's like pretty soon. Your family is probably in the East Wing Parlor with the Súri Royals. I'll show you where it's at and then I have to go."

They went to the main hall and followed it to the flight of stairs that lead to other narrower hall ways. Níya led Tás through a particular hall that was more ornate than the others. The guards were not standing in front of the doors, so Níya assumed the royal group had not assembled as she thought they had.

"This is the East Wing Parlor. It is the Royal Family's favorite room in the whole palace. The guards are not outside of the doors, so your family is not here yet with my….the Súri Royal Family."

Footsteps were then heard coming up the stairs mingled with the clanking of armor and a number of muffled voices. The royals would be there in moments. Níya needed to leave quickly if her scheme was to continue.

"Oh! Here they come!" Níya said with a very nervous smile. "Could you do me a favor? I wasn't really supposed to be at the stables today. I had a friend take care of my chores because I promised I'd do all hers tomorrow. Please don't mention that I saw you at the stables. In fact don't mention that I saw you at all. I would really appreciate it."

"Sure. I'll keep my mouth shut. If they ask how I got here I'll say I was admiring the architecture of the halls and ended up over here. Go ahead and meet your friend."

"Thank you so much! I'll repay you for this, I promise."

She dashed down another hall just as the procession reached the hall of the East Parlor. Tás quickly lifted his eyes to the designs and patterns etched and engraved into the ceiling and walked slowly toward the stairs.

"Tás, what are doing here?" asked his father, King Átris.

He told his fib and they all gathered into the parlor.


	4. Chapter 4

When Mású arrived at Níya's chamber, he noticed several portrait frames, eight to be exact, in the foyer, that were wrapped in cotton clothe to protect the frames. Mású placed Níya's pack and cloak on the bureau and grabbed one of the frames. He sat in a chair and began to unwrap it.

The picture was of a Súri woman in the mountains. She was removing silver and bronze from the peak. Her blue eyes were different than those of all other Súri. Around the edge of her iris was a ring of bronze and around her pupil was silver. Mású instantly knew who it was.

"It's…It's…It's Rikani!" He couldn't believe Níya painted a portrait of the Súri prophetess. Nobody knew exactly what the prophets looked like.

He looked at the other portraits. _There are eight portraits and there are six prophets. If Níya painted Rikani, she must have painted the other five prophets. Who could be on the other two? Wait! Exada and Matevak! It must be them._

Exada was Keeper of Light and Matevak was the Dark Watcher. Each of the prophets watched over a nation and had a special element they were the keeper of. However, Takadí created a Keeper of Light to watch over Kabíli and help its people stay good. The wicked Under Lord, Júkabev, was jealous of the power given to the Keepers. Thus, the Dark Watcher was created to corrupt Kabíli because the more evil in people's hearts, the greater the power of Júkabev and his Dark Watcher.

Mású removed the cloth of another portrait. It was Tyvax, the prophet of Dákó, creating wind in a canyon. The next was of a beautiful lake with Kóda, the Kújí prophetess, manipulating the water. The Asdem prophet, Tólen was levitating boulders in the deep desert.

His head began to spin. _How was she able to paint all these? There is no way that she's seen all the prophets. No one is allowed to see them. Not even the Grand Ministers. Even if she was able to get through the prophets' temple security, there is no way she's been to all the temples. These pictures must just be what she thinks they look like._

The Bast prophetess was the next in the pile. Tómáka was standing in a field, creating wildflowers and small trees. In the picture of Lúme, the Mekína prophetess, there was a volcano exploding. Her hands produced fire.

All the prophets had similar rings around their pupils and irises. The colors of the rings depended on which nation each Keeper was a prophet of.

That was all the prophets. Mású opened the next one reluctantly. There were only two left. He feared to see what Níya thought Matevak looked like. Luckily, the next was Exada. She was in front of her temple with her long blonde hair flowing from the arctic wind. Snow was falling thickly and it covered the already frozen ground. Light seemed to radiate from her whole body except her face, which seemed almost sad. The ring around her pupil was white and the one around her iris was gold. Mású couldn't draw his face away from her beauty.


	5. Chapter 5

Níya opened the door to her chamber and found Mású sitting in her chair staring at the portrait of Exada. She startled him with her abrupt and sudden entrance.

"I see you found my portraits. What do you think?"

"Ah…Ah…I'm not really sure. They are very beautiful. I couldn't bear to look at the picture of Matevak. Your painting of Exada is so beautiful. I don't want to know how you depicted The Dark Watcher."

She figured that he might have thought she just painted them, not knowing what they really looked like. But she knew exactly how the prophets look.

"Mású, I know this is going to be hard for you to understand, but I didn't just paint all these from my imagination…I've had these…I've…You aren't going to believe this…For years, I've had dreams, dreams about all prophets and Exada and Matevak. I can't even remember how long I've had them."

She didn't know what else to say at the moment. Níya waited for Mású to process what she said. He didn't look directly at her. He stared at the floor and said nothing.

Níya went to her writing desk and pulled a bag out of the bottom drawer. She sat in a chair next to Mású and pulled dozens of pieces of parchment from the sac.

"Ever since my first dream, I've been trying to draw what I saw. I didn't have these dreams every night, only every once and awhile. In some I saw all of them. Most dreams were only of one."

Mású lifted his gaze from the floor and looked at the pictures in her hand. She handed them to him and he flipped through the pages. Most of them looked as though they were drawn by a child.

"The more I tried to draw them, the better the portraits were. I finished all the portraits of the prophets and Exada three months ago, but I didn't know how to finish the one of Matevak. I waited and waited until I had another dream of him. Last week, I dreamed of him twice and I finished his portrait yesterday morning. After it was done, I ran to you and made this appointment. I wanted you to be the first one to show since you are one of my closest, most understanding friends. Would you like to see what the Dark Watcher looks like?"

Mású began to shake a little, but he reluctantly nodded his head. Níya stood up and walked over to the last wrapped portrait. She picked it up and slowly removed the cloth. The paint still smelled as though it was wet, but it was dry. Níya turned the frame around and faced the portrait toward Mású.

He couldn't believe his eyes. Although Matevak was full of malice, hatred, and bitterness, he had a sense of beauty about him. His body was lean and muscular with his bare arms showing. He had short black hair that was parted to the side and slicked back. Blue eyes peered between colored rings of black and grey.

Smoke billowed around Matevak. It seemed to be emitted from his whole being. In his hand he held a staff that seemed to be made of smoke in a solid form. He sat lounged in a throne made out a dead tree with its roots still embedded in the ground.

"This is the Dark Watcher? This is what he really looks like?" Mású grew pale and placed to picture on the floor with the others.

"Are you alright? Do you need to lie down?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine. It's just that, I think I've seen his face before. Well, I mean, without the rings around the iris and pupil. It was a long time ago, back when I lived along the coast. There was a raid on our town. My parents told me it was pirates, but I didn't believe them. I'd seen pirates before and none of them were as vicious as the people that attacked us. I didn't know what they were, but they weren't pirates. The band consisted of Mixes: Súri-Dákó mix, Kújí-Asde mix, Bast-Súri mix, Asde-Mekína mix, etc… There was every kind possible. Hair color didn't match eye color; traditional tunics didn't match traditional accessories. Since mixes are social outcasts in Kabíli, I thought it was a group seeking revenge for mistreatment and discrimination. But they attacked from the south not the north. The Mixes live in the north in Pórux, so I didn't know what to think."

Níya had always felt bad for the Mixes. She had decided that when she became queen, she would try to remove the prejudice of them. Mású, on the other hand, seemed to really hate them for what they did to his hometown.

"I'm sorry for what happened, but what does that have to do with Matevak."

Mású looked at the portrait of Matevak again. His body began to shake. Níya couldn't figure out if it was out of anger or grief.

"The man that led the raid looked just like Matevak. He held a staff similar to Mavtevak's and smoke filled the main hall before he entered. My little brother suffocated from the smoke as well as many other infants that were asleep in their cribs."

A tear fell from Mású's face as he dropped to the ground with grief. Níya went to him, placed her hand on his back and rubbed it in an effort to give him comfort. Tears continued to trickle down his cheek.

"I think I need to be alone for now. I need to know if that's who killed my brother." He pointed to Matevak's painting as he got up. Níya wanted to help him, but he had to trace through his memories and discover the truth. She couldn't help him in any way besides meditating and asking Takadí to give him strength.

Mású placed his hood over his head in an effort to hide his tear-stained face. He left the room without speaking another word. Níya realized she was covered in goose bumps so she put on her cloak to suppress her chills. She put away her paintings, hooded her face, sat on the floor facing her window, and began to meditate on Takadí.


	6. Chapter 6

The East Wing Parlor was the most luxurious room Tás had ever seen. His parents seemed to agree with him. Their jaws dropped the instant they stepped in the room. Plush couches were set in every corner of the parlor and fresh mountain flowers were placed in vases everywhere. Tás walked about the room and discovered plaques made of bronze in one corner of the parlor in which stories and poems were etched. He read a few and said:

"This is beautiful ballad. Who wrote it?"

"Why my son, Kóen wrote it. He's a wonderful writer." Queen Casta was very proud that her son shared her love of writing.

In the center of the parlor, a large table was being set for lunch. Once all the children, with the exception of Níya, joined them, that sat down to lunch.

"My dear Queen Casta, where is your daughter now? She couldn't still be up in the Temple at this hour. I hear the peaks get very hot at noon. I'm beginning to doubt her existence."

"I'm terribly sorry, Queen Lúrahí. I'll send a guard to go find her."

"Mom, Níya is in her chamber. I saw her running there about an hour ago. She needed to tell Mású something. When she's done, I bet she'll come. If not, we'll just have to wait." Kóen knew his sister had a secret and he didn't want to expose it. Níya would be very unhappy with him. Anyone who knew her was aware that they should not upset her. Her temper was not easily lost, but Takadí save you if she loses it.

This was the perfect opportunity for Tás to meet Princess Níya. He didn't want their meeting to be diplomatic or elegant or however two royals were supposed to meet. He wanted to show up without warning. She might act different in private than if she was with nobles or royalty.

"Would it be possible for me to see her in private? I have something I want to speak to her about."

"Yes, you may. Kóen, would you show Prince Tás to Níya's chamber after lunch?"

"Of course, father. I'll also bring her something to eat."

When they finished their meal, Kóen grabbed some food for his sister and led Tás down the hall to Níya's room.

* * *

Tás grew nervous with excitement as he and Kóen drew closer and closer to Níya's chamber. Once there, Kóen knocked on the door.

"Niya, it's me. I have a surprise for you."

"Come in, Kóen."

"Go ahead, Tás. I'm going back to the parlor. She seems to be in a good mood." He gave him Níya's lunch and walked down the hall. Tás was not sure he liked the last part of what Kóen said. Nonetheless, he opened the door and walked into the foyer.

Níya was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and hands on her knees. Her head was slightly bowed and Tás assumed her eyes were closed.

"So, brother, what is my surprise?" Níya didn't turn around.

Tás recognized her voice. He stepped in front of her and almost fell backward. _It's her, that Sálin girl from the stables._

"You aren't Kóen. He would have said something already." She placed her hand at her belt where a long knife was sheathed. Níya's eyes were still closed. "Who are you?"

"Why don't you open your eyes and find out?" Tás walked in front of where Níya was sitting and stared down at her. _She really is beautiful._

"I don't need to open my eyes to know who you are, Prince Tás. I knew it was only a matter of time before you found me. Where's my brother?" She smiled and removed her hand from her hilt.

"He went back to the East Wing Parlor. I told him I wanted to talk to you alone."

Níya continued to smile and opened her eyes. She remained sitting and stared up at him.

"Alright Tás, what would you like to know about me? That is why you and your family are here, right? To find out what I'm like? To see if all the rumors about me are true?" She stood up, removed her cloak, laid it across the arm of her sofa, and sat down. Tás took off his cloak as well and sat next to her on the couch.

"My parents want me to flatter you and offer you extravagant gifts, hoping you will choose to ally Súria with Dákó. I've tried to convince them that you wouldn't accept bribes for something you would rather die than see happen. That was one rumor I heard about you, that you don't believe in allies because it creates enemies. Still, they insisted I bring you Calé. I was kind of glad to give her to you. She is an amazing creature. You deserve her."

"I was wondering. Would you like to go back to the stables with me and present her to me? I'm sure you had this whole elaborate speech to give. I would like to hear it." Tás nodded and the two royals left the chamber.


	7. Chapter 7

In the main hall, Tás stopped to watch the sunset. Níya joined him on the ledge of the short wall that ran along the main hall. Crowds of people walked along the passage going about their daily rituals. Behind her, Níya heard a laugh. _Oh, Takadí! Not Brak. Please don't let it be Brak and Gíus._ She turned around and there stood a tall man with biceps the size of his face. Next to him stood a scrawny man with a smirk on his face.

"Brak, Gíus, what a surprise!" Níya rolled her eyes as she turned back to the sunset.

"Hello, my darling. Is this the chump prince we've heard about? He doesn't look like much. I'll get rid of him for you." Brak pulled out a dagger and prepared to attack Tás. Níya unsheathed her long knife and pointed it at Brak.

"Get out of here, Brak. You too, Gíus, go on. Bye-bye." She stepped toward the dynamic duo with her knife extended. They knew better than to mess with Níya when she had a blade out. Gíus hastily left; Brak reluctantly walked away.

"What's that guy's problem, and why did he call you 'darling'?" Tás was more upset about that comment than the insult.

"He thinks he's going to be the future 'King of Súria'. My parents think I should marry him, but ultimately, it's my decision who I wed. Nothing about him is appealing to me. All the young noble ladies would die to be his wife, all because of his _beauty_. As for his skill with a sword, he's fairly good, but not skilled enough to defeat me. He's never beaten me. It's kind of sad how hard he tries."

They began to resume their walk when Níya suddenly felt very dizzy. She fell back down onto the wall ledge.

"What's the matter, Níya? Are you alright?" Tás helped hold her up.

"I feel strange. My whole body aches. Did something hit me?"

"No, you just fell over. I'm going to bring you back to your chamber." He picked her up and she fainted. "Níya! Níya! Wake up!" The next second, she was gone.

*******************

When Níya woke up, she was lying on a cold floor. It wasn't stone or metal; it was different. A gust of wind sent shivers down her spine. She looked around at her new environment. White stuff was raining from the sky.

"I've heard of this stuff. It's called snow. Wait. If this is snow, then I'm in Pórux." She turned around and saw a giant temple. "It's the Light Keeper's Temple." A bright light came out of the top tower. It floated down to the ground and stopped just in front of Níya. "Exada!"

The light dimmed and revealed the Keeper of Light. "Princess Níya, I'm sorry for bringing you here like this, but I'm desperate. I need your help."

"What are you talking about? You're the Keeper of Light. How could I possibly help you?" Níya took at step forward and waited for an answer.

Exada lifted her hands and they were both engulfed in light. "Don't be scared. I'm protecting us from Matevak's eyes. He can't know what I'm planning. The Dark Watcher has gained enough power to overthrow all of the Keepers. He is about ready to attack Rikani's temple. He wants all of our powers. Currently, the Keeping Abilities are separate and limited. If the abilities are united to a mortal soul, then there is a chance to defeat Matevak. The Prophets have been told to place their powers in the Sacred Gems. I'm going to give you this necklace. Each Sacred Gem has its own slot in the necklace. The Keepers will give you their jewels when you meet them. You must travel across Kabíli and collect every jewel and put it in its place. I'll lead you on your quest when you need help. For now I will give you my illusion ability. I still need my powers of light."

The Keeper of Light lowered her hands and Níya woke up in Tás's arms. Around her neck hung a gold chain with sixteen facets. One held a small white jewel.

"What happened? One second you were here, the next you were gone. Now you're back." Tás was almost in tears. He looked so worried.

"Exada is sending me on a quest to save the world." It sounded just as weird out loud as it sounded in her head. Tás's look of concern quickly turned to one of confusion. "I'm sure you feel very lost, but I need to go do something."

She began to walk away when Tás grabbed her arm. "I want to help you in your quest. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Rikani's temple. Matevak is going to try to take away her Keeping Abilities. When I help Rikani, I have to go to the all the Prophet's temples. After that, I don't know what I'm going to do. Exada said she will instruct me. For now, I need to protect Rikani's powers." Níya began walking again and Tás followed.

"So, what is the necklace for?"

"It is to hold the Keeping Abilities. Each Prophet has two abilities. There are a total of sixteen facets, so I think I have to somehow find a way to get Matevak's abilities, too. I'll know later. I just need to concentrate on getting Rikani's jewels for now." Tás was still confused, but he decided to stick by his new friend. She was probably going to need some help.


End file.
